Analysis on Analogical Transfer between Mathematical Isomorphic Problems with Different Level of Structuredness

This study aims to find whether the solutions for well-structured problems learned in school can be transferred to the moderately-structured problem and ill-structured problem. For these purpose, research questions were set up as follows: First, what are the patterns of changes in strategies used in solving the mathematics problems with different level of structuredness? Second, From the group using and not using proportion algorithm strategy in solving moderately-structured problem and ill-structured problem, what features were observed when they were solving that problems? Followings are the findings from this study. First, for the lower level of structuredness, the frequency of using multiplicative strategy was increased and frequency of proportion algorithm strategy use was decreased. Second, the students who used multiplicative strategies and proportion algorithm strategies to solve structured and ill-structured problems exhibited qualitative differences in the degree of understanding concept of ratio and proportion. This study has an important meaning in that it provided new direction for transfer and analogical problem solving study in mathematics education.